Itaipu will take part in the Challenge Family 21.03.2017

It will be the only one thriatlon in the world performed at night.

The Itaipu hydroelectric power plant will receive on September 8 and 9 the first binational stage of the Challenge Family triathlon circuit and the first in the world with the start in the afternoon and closing at night.

Named Itaipu Challenge Sunset, the stage will have five events, with an expectation of gathering 1,300 athletes aged between 7 and 60 years or more.

The main event will be Challenge Half Distance, on the 9th (Saturday), with a course of 1.9 kilometers of swimming (on Lake Itaipu), 90 kilometers of bicycle and 2.1 kilometers of running.

Also on Saturday, starting at 5 p.m., the Challenge Sprint Distance will be played in a shorter course than that of the main event – 750 kilometers of swimming, 20 kilometers of bike and 5 kilometers of running.

The other events will be on Friday:Challenge Junior, with start at 4 p.m., for children from 7 to 15 years; Challenge Women, starting at 5:30 p.m., women only and 5 km walking or running; and Challenge for All, with a 10-kilometer runway.

Entries will be opened on March 1st and can be made online (www.blueticket.com.br), with values starting at R$80 (women) and ranging up to R$850 (Half Distance).

26 Countries

Responsible for the organization of the circuit in Latin America, Carlos Fernando Menezes explained that the Challenge Family originated in Germany in 2003, and today is held in 26 countries of all continents.It is already considered the largest international triathlon event in the current calendar.In Brazil, the circuit arrived in 2014, with an inaugural stage in Florianópolis.

Since then, events have also been conducted in Maceió and Manaus.This year, besides Foz, events are planned in Brasília (Challenge Cerrado, April 23), Maceió (August 20) and, closing the circuit, Florianópolis (December 3).

Menezes emphasized that the focus of the event is the family, contemplating all ages, various categories and different degrees of difficulty.According to him, the expectation with the Itaipu stage is great and should catch the attention of the whole circuit.

“We are going to launch here an event in the sunset system, which is unprecedented in the world.Because you will hardly find elsewhere, at night, the same conditions that we have in Itaipu – such as safety on the runway, lighting and visibility,” he commented.

Binational Event

Itaipu Social Communication superintendent Gilmar Piolla said that the event is "a partnership we are establishing to keep alive this binational triathlon event, which is unique in the world shared between two countries.”“The Challenge comes with a proposal that adapts better to the characteristics of Itaipu and we still have the possibility to bring the World Cup 2018 here,” he added.

Menezes said that US$25,000 in prize money will be distributed to the top five in the Half Challenge in men and women categories.The top six finishers of each category in the main event will also secure a place for the world stage of the circuit in 2018.

This year, the world stage will take place on June 3, in Slovakia, with a distribution of €150 in prizes.Menezes said he will defend the coming of the 2018 World Cup to Itaipu.“The conditions are excellent: we are in a region of triple border, with very strong tourism,” he said.